Central High School A+ Handbook E d m o n d S t r e e t, S a i n t J o s e p h, M O,

Transcription

1 Central High School A+ Handbook E d m o n d S t r e e t, S a i n t J o s e p h, M O,

2 Central High School A+ Handbook Preparation for Tutoring... 2 Five Steps to Being an Effective Tutor Tutoring Strategies Ways to Be a Better Listener... 6 Student Questioning Strategies... 7 Service Hour Reference Guide A+ Participation Agreement Form A+ Tutoring Agreement Form A+ Tutoring Time This student tutorial manual is intended to provide key information about the tutoring process. It defines the guidelines A+ students must follow to receive credit toward meeting the requirements of fifty (50) documented hours of unpaid tutoring/mentoring of younger students in approved settings and tips to make tutoring a positive experience for the high school tutor, the student being tutored, and the cooperating school personnel.* *The financial incentives of the A+ Schools Program are dependent upon state appropriations from the Missouri General Assembly. They are not the funding responsibility of the St. Joseph School District. 1

3 PREPARATION FOR TUTORING A+ student s must demonstrate good citizenship, complete one training session, and have the following documents on file before they may begin earning tutoring hours: A+ Schools Program Participation Agreement A+ Schools Program Tutoring Agreement SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING TUTORING ACTIVITIES - 50 hours minimum in tutoring/mentoring. - 25% (12.5 hours) of the tutoring/mentoring component can be completed through Job Shadowing. All tutoring activities must fall under the following categories. 1. Unpaid and supervised by a certified St. Joseph School District Employee. 2. Held within the St. Joseph School District. 3. Academic in nature. 4. Approved by the school s A+ Coordinator. 5. Turned in to A+ coordinator prior to May 1st of graduation year. Proper documentation is required for any tutoring experience that is to be counted toward the fifty- (50) hour total. A+ students must complete and submit a time sheet for all tutoring/mentoring/job shadowing hours. 1. Tutoring Time s may be picked up in the A+ office. 2. The tutor, appropriate supervisor, and an A+ representative must sign time sheets. 3. Lost time sheets are the responsibility of the student. A+ students are advised to begin earning tutoring hours during the second semester of their freshmen year or the beginning of their sophomore year. All tutoring must be completed by May 1st during the year of graduation. An A+ student s documentation and/or tutoring hours may be audited at any time. A+ students should become familiar with the information in this manual. 2

4 Five Steps to Being an Effective Tutor STEP ONE: Know What is Expected of You as a Tutor Know your responsibilities and duties as a tutor. Arrive at your assigned tutoring site on time. Learn and use the appropriate procedures for signing in and out at your assigned site. Attend regularly! Remember, people are counting on you. Dress and act appropriately. You are a role model! Be prepared for each tutoring session. Become familiar with school rules and classroom procedures. Never criticize the supervising adult or the rules of the classroom during the tutoring session. Treat everyone with respect (administrators, teachers, students, staff, parents, etc.). Be polite. Keep your records up to date and accurate. Turn in the required paperwork. STEP TWO: Setting Up the Tutor Session The better you are prepared, the better you will be able to tutor. Learn the student s name and pronounce it correctly. Make sure your student(s) understands the purpose of tutoring. Try different methods to help the student be successful. Confer with the supervising administrator, counselor, or teacher on a regular basis. STEP THREE: Meeting Your Student s Needs The better you meet your student s needs, the better the session. Be a good listener and establish a good rapport with the student. Build the student s confidence whenever possible. Know the skills you are working on for each student. Never let your student struggle to the point of frustration. Focus on the whole student, not just the academics. Believe in the student and provide positive feedback. 3

5 STEP FOUR: The Ingredients of a Good Tutor Session The following are some of the necessary ingredients for a good session. Give your student(s) your undivided attention during tutoring sessions. Have empathy (not sympathy) with your student s problems. Be honest. Have a sense of humor. Have the ability to lighten up a situation. Interact well with your student; have a give-and-take attitude. Know your student s strengths and weaknesses. Work through your student s strengths to improve his/her weaknesses. Make your student feel good about him/herself and his/her accomplishments. Use mistakes and failures as positive learning experiences. End the session on a positive note. Always keep information CONFIDENTIAL. Student names and/or academic needs are confidential. DO NOT share this information or any other personal information that a student may tell you with anyone other than the adult supervising the tutoring session and/or the A+ Schools Coordinator. STEP FIVE: Ending the Tutoring Session Do not just say good-bye when the session is over. End the session with a positive comment. Confirm the next session. Do any necessary paperwork. Follow checkout procedures, where appropriate. 4

6 Tutoring Strategies 1. Build positive relationships. Kids want you to like them and respect them. It s not how much you know, it s how much you care. 2. Don t take things personally. Sometimes kids say things out of frustration or anger. Be ready to forgive. 3. Be patient, calm, and kind always. 4. Elicit adult help when things are not going well ask for advice or help from the teacher or adult supervisor. 5. Expect students to behave appropriately. Develop strategies to handle inappropriate behavior. Ask for adult help when needed. Do not wait for things to get out of hand before seeking help. 6. Dissect the directions. Underline, circle, highlight, number the steps in assignments directions and check with the student to make sure the directions are understood. 7. Ask students to look at examples. Discuss or work through examples together before tackling that assignment. 8. Check to make sure students have needed materials to complete the task. 9. Let the student do as much as he/she can to build their self-esteem. Let it be their work not yours. 10. Do one or two problems with students then have them do the next one on their own. 11. Give student time to figure out the problem. 5

7 10 Ways to Be a Better Listener 1. Put your body into a listening attitude: be alert, sit straight, and lean into the conversation. 2. Look at the other person. Stay focused on their faces. 3. Try to understand all that the student is communicating; listen for the message that may be hidden behind the words. 4. Do not interrupt. Hear them out before jumping in with your opinions or ideas. Listen even if you DO know what they will say. Poor listeners talk too much. 5. Concentrate. Good listening is focused on the speaker. 6. Listen for the main ideas. 7. React to what is being said. Nod, make comments, and ask questions to let the speaker know you re really listening. 8. Ask questions about what is being said if you are not sure. Ask clarifying questions that lead to better understanding. Use open ended questions Explain that to me How do you think that should be done What could we do to solve this. Avoid questions that require only a one word answer. If you still are not sure your understanding is correct, try saying, "So, if I m hearing you correctly,..." and then state your interpretation. Students can then affirm or contradict your understanding. 9. Get rid of things that distract you; shut out the noise, move to a quieter area if necessary. 10. Avoid giving advice. Advice becomes a roadblock to communication and to critical thinking. 6

8 Student Questioning Strategies Ask students these questions. What do you know? Show me. Tell me. What do you want to know? How can you solve it? How would you do it? What have you learned? What should you change to correct this problem? How is this like the one we did together? Why did you choose that answer? Help me understand how you got that answer. If you were in this situation, what would you do? Use open-ended questions. Avoid questions that require one word answers. 7

9 Tutoring, & Mentoring Reference Guide Listed below are some of the service activities offered by Central High School. Please note that our students are not limited to selecting these activities to get service hours. This list should serve as a reference as to how many service hours will be counted towards meeting the A+ requirement of 50 hours. Service Activity Hours TUTORING HOURS/ MENTORING HOURS Freshman Mentor Program 60 Career Investigation Job Shadow 12.5 Key Club Pay It Forward Club National Honor Society (tutor/mentor activity) Student Government (tutor/mentor activity) Tutoring & Mentoring at Elementary School Tutoring & Mentoring at Middle School Athletics little kids camps (mentor activity) FCCLA (tutor/mentor activity) Choir Mentor Remember: You cannot be paid for the service and it must be done through NON-PROFIT community organizations. Tutoring/Mentoring for a private business or individual will not be accepted. You MUST turn in a log that shows the hours worked and is initialed by the supervisor of the organization. ALL HOURS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE A+ COORDINATOR AND ALL PAPERWORK MUST BE ON FILE BEFORE ANY HOURS WILL BE COUNTED. Career Investigation Job Shadow(One semester 1/2 elective credit) Prerequisite: Class is available during Junior or Senior years. Register for the class through the Guidance Office during class registration in the spring of each year. Classroom exercises conducted prior to and following the job shadow are designed to help students connect their experience to their course work and relate the visits directly to career pathways, related skills requirements, all aspects of an industry and post-secondary education options. Transportation to the job site is the responsibility of the student. 8

10 Freshman Mentor Program(One Semester 1/2 elective credit) Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing and application process through Mrs. Steeby and Mrs. Dudley. This Service Learning course provides juniors and/or seniors an alternative educational opportunity to work in the Freshman FLEx classroom as a peer tutor. Students will be trained in peer tutoring and supervised by a Central High School teacher. Students should see either Mrs. Steeby or Mrs. Dudley for further details or the application process. A special thank you to the Parkway School District in St. Louis for their help in developing the A+ Handbook If you have any questions, please contact the A+ Coordinator at Central High School. Dr. Robert Sigrist 2602 Edmond St. St. Joseph, MO

11 St. Joseph School District A+ Schools Participation Agreement PLEASE PRINT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION Last Name First Name Middle Street Address City ZIP Student Number Date of Birth Age Anticipated Graduation Date Home Phone Number I wish to participate in Central High School s A+ Schools Program. If state funds are available, I will receive reimbursement for the college expenses determined by legislative approval and appropriation of funds each year. This is on the condition that I meet the following requirements: 1. Attend an A+ high school for three years immediately prior to graduation (10th-12th grade). 2. Earn a cumulative high school grade point average of a 2.5 grade point or higher on a 4.0 scale (nonweighted). 3. Maintain a 95% high school attendance record for the 4-year period (attendance is not rounded up). 4. Perform 50 documented hours of unpaid tutoring through a non-profit organization. 5. Establish a record of good citizenship with no drug or alcohol offenses. 6. Make a documented good faith effort to secure federal post-secondary student financial assistance funds during the last semester of the senior year so as to obtain the A+ financial incentive (FAFSA). 7. Register for Selective Service, if applicable (as required by law). 8. Beginning with the high school senior class of 2015, have achieved a score of proficient or advanced on the official Algebra I end of course exam, or complete the first semester at a postsecondary institution with a minimum of twelve (12) hours or the equivalent and a two and one-half (2.5) grade point average prior to receiving A+ tuition reimbursement. To retain this eligibility after high school graduation, I understand that I must enroll and attend on a full-time basis a Missouri public community college or public career/technical school, AND maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. *This agreement signifies a student s intention to meet or exceed the A+ criteria. A+ tuition reimbursement is contingent upon the availability of state funds. The financial incentives of the A+ Schools Program are dependent upon state appropriations from the Missouri General Assembly. The incentives are not the funding responsibility of the St. Joseph School District or Central High School. Student financial incentives may be accessed over a four-year period after graduation and contingent upon legislative approval. All individuals required to register with the Selective Service must do so to be eligible for state-supported scholarships and programs for financial assistance for post secondary education. Students must fill out the FAFSA no earlier than January of senior year in order to be eligible for A+ funding at the post-secondary institution. Student Signature Date Parent/Guardian Signature Date 10

12 A+ Tutoring Agreement One of the requirements to access A+ Incentive funds is to perform fifty (50) hours of tutoring, mentoring, and/or job shadowing (can only use 12.5 hours). Students who tutor must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher. In order for tutoring/mentoring hours to count towards the total fifty, they must meet the following guidelines: Unpaid and supervised by a certified St. Joseph School District Employee. Held within the St. Joseph School District. Academic in nature. Approved by the school s A+ Coordinator. Turned in to A+ coordinator prior to May 1st of graduation year. Each A+ participant who enters into the Tutoring/Mentoring Program must receive training prior to contact with younger students. Training will provide A+ participant with the following: Knowledge and Understanding of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) Tutoring Handbook/5 Steps to Being an Effective Tutor Techniques/Strategies to use when working with students Tutor/Mentor training is REQUIRED and available online. NO HOURS MAY BE EARNED PRIOR TO THE TRAINING AND ALL APPOPRIATE PAPERWORK ON FILE. By signing this agreement, the student and parent/guardian are certifying that the student has received training to prepare them for the tutoring and mentoring program. They are also testifying the student has been made aware of FERPA rules and regulations. Student Signature Date Parent/Guardian Signature Date Please check one or more of the following options: My son/daughter has permission to drive to the Elementary/Middle School buildings during school for tutoring/mentoring assignments. My son/daughter has permission to ride with another student to the Elementary/Middle School buildings during school for tutoring/mentoring assignments. My son/daughter does not have permission to leave the High School during school for tutoring/mentoring assignments. *Students and Parents are aware that being a member of this tutoring/mentoring program is a privilege and may be taken away if the student s attendance or behavior does not meet with the standards of the A+ Program. 11

13 Tutoring/Mentoring/Job Shadowing Type of Activity Date Total Time ged Teacher s Initials Location of Tutoring/Mentoring *I understand that it is my responsibility to log my tutoring hours each time I tutor and turn in the logs to the A+ Coordinator. I also understand that I can be removed from the tutoring program should my attendance or behavior not meet with school policy and/or A+ Program requirements. PLEASE TURN IN EVALUATION & HOUR LOG FORM TO YOUR A+ COORDINATOR AFTER TUTORING / MENTORING ACTIVITY IS COMPLETE. ALL FORMS MUST BE TURNED IN BY MAY 1st OF SENIOR YEAR. 12